Premium Standard Farms: State-of-the-art technology at pig farms

Premium Standard Farms announced that it has started installing state-of-the-art barn scraper systems at some of its pig farms in northwest Missouri, signaling the final phase of the installation of Next Generation Technology to further reduce barn odours.

Work has started on installing the barn scraper systems at the first of the seven remaining Premium Standard Farms scheduled for the new technology. The company expects installation to be completed at all seven farms no later than July 31, 2012.

The final technologies being implemented - barn scrapers and the Sustainable Technology System - were approved by the court-appointed Management Advisory Team last April.

Millions spentPremium Standard Farms has already spent about $40 million implementing improved environmental technologies, including lagoon covers and land application technologies, equipment and practices that are among the most advanced in the U.S. Barn odor was the final issue that needed to be addressed by Next Generation Technology.

"We are moving ahead with an aggressive implementation schedule for this final phase, which represents our company's commitment as good environmental stewards to reduce odor from our farms," said Bill Homann, president of Premium Standard Farms.

"When we complete our work on these remaining farms, we're confident that Premium Standard Farms' Missouri operations will have clearly demonstrated that we're a world leader in the advancement of agricultural environmental technologies," Homann added. "I'm proud of our employees and all their hard work. Ultimately, their efforts will ensure our continued future in northwest Missouri, and that's certainly good news for the local economy."

And, according to Homann, that good news means jobs.

"North Missouri is our home," Homann said. "Our focus at PSF is and always has been to ensure the sustainability of our business and in the process, provide jobs for our families, friends and neighbours."

Reduce barn odourIn addition to developing advanced technologies to address lagoon and land application issues, Premium Standard Farms in 1999 also began a 10-year effort to reduce barn odour, which proved to be the most challenging aspect of the entire process. The company researched and field tested at least 13 different technologies to address barn odour, all under the oversight of the independent Management Advisory Team. Ultimately, those research efforts resulted in the recent development of barn scrapers and the Sustainable Technology System.

During the past decade, Premium Standard Farms has worked cooperatively with the Management Advisory Team and the state of Missouri in an unprecedented development of new, advanced technologies to reduce odor and address other environmental issues associated with animal agriculture.

Premium Standard Farms, LLC is an independent operating company of Smithfield Foods, Inc. As a member of the Smithfield family of companies, Premium Standard Farms produces pork products.